To say that the last few months have been stressful for a lot of people is something of an understatement! For me, my insomnia went through the roof and I certainly felt all the doom and gloom around me.
So it was very important that I kept my news-watching to a minimum; kept conversations short with those who were ultra negative; exercised more, and indulged in activities that I really enjoyed to manage stress and keep my anxiety at bay.
What did you do during this very unsettling time in order to reduce stress-levels and feel better?
Lockdown wasn't the easiest to deal with and goodness only knows what this year will bringing with the rising omicron cases. But I know that we were in a luckier position than most. Like some of you we were lucky enough to live near woodlands and we have a large enough garden for the kids and dog to run around in. In fact for much the the time the garden kept me very busy and I've always found getting back to nature to be a big healer, and it definitely helped keep me sane.
I'm a musician and it's definitely music that kept me sane during these tumultuous times. That and baking as well. 😄🍞🍰 Music is my passion so I wrote songs, played my piano, my guitar. And like everyone else, kept in touch with family and friends as much as I could.
Well like a lot of people I used apps to keep in touch with people and I surrounded myself with music - I'm a huge fan of classical music - and played my piano a lot. As well as fitting in more singing practice.
It's been a really tough time. I'm very proud of my boys as I think that on the whole they've coped pretty well. They are very sociable kids so it wasn't easy for them but we found lots of things to keep them busy. For me there were lots of Skype chats with my friends and family members - including those who live abroad which I hardly ever get to do. Oh and my art - found lots of time for that!
Unfortunately I do suffer from anxiety so it hasn't been the easiest of times with all the doom and gloom and worry. I have good days and bad days. I'd say my boys found it tough at first because they're both very outgoing with lots of friends but they had all their gadgets to keep them entertained. For me it was tough not being able to see my baby niece as much, however my sister in law did skype as much as possible. But just being with my husband and keeping in contact with friends and family is how I got by.
I think any stress I felt was really for my kids but thankfully they're too young to understand what was going on. They're both at an age where they're easy to entertain and they don't get bored easily. There's woodlands nearby where we could go for a walk occasionally when we needed to get out of the house.
And my Zoom cheese and wine nights with the girls were absolutely vital!
We couldn't socialize but our lives didn't alter that much. Obviously the puppies were our focus so they kept us busy as always. And me and my partner work from home a lot any way so we were already used to that. I didn't feel overly stressed out but I suppose skyping family and friends, gaming, etc. helped abit.